554 TOBACCO-TRADERS. Chap. XXVII. 



peared to have received the signal to strike off to the west 

 of our course when he proposed to leave us. From the 

 numerous instances of the polygamist's sorrows which we 

 have observed, we should suppose that he can have but few 

 joys ; but still there is something to be said, we dare say, on 

 both sides. Polygamy is certainly a cause of misery to the 

 children ; who become partakers of all the petty jealousies, 

 hate, and quarrels of the different mothers. 



A party of Babisa tobacco-traders came from the N.W. to 

 Molamba, while we were there; and one of them asserted 

 several times that the Loapula, after emerging from Moelo, 

 received the Lulua, and then flowed into Lake Mofu, and 

 thence into Tanganyika ; and from the last-named Lake into 

 the sea. This is the native idea of the geography of the 

 interior ; and, to test the general knowledge of our informant, 

 we asked him about our acquaintances in Londa ; as Moene, 

 Katema, Shinde or Shinte, who live south-west of the rivers 

 mentioned, and found that our friends there were perfectly 

 well-known to him and to others of these travelled natives. 

 In the evening two of the Babisa came in, and reported that 

 the Mazitu had followed us to the village called Chigaragara, 

 at which we slept at the bottom of the descent. The whole 

 party of traders set off at once, though the sun had set. We 

 ourselves had given rise to the report, for the women of Chi- 

 garagara, supposing us in the distance to be Mazitu, fled, 

 with all their household utensils on their heads, and had no 

 opportunity afterwards of finding out their mistake. We 

 spent the night where we were, and next morning, declin- 

 ing Nkomo's entreaty to go and kill elephants, took our 

 course along the shores of the Lake southwards. 



We have only been at the Lake at one season of the year : 

 then the wind blows strongly from the east, and indeed this 

 is its prevailing direction hence to the Orange Eiver ; a 



